Information communication is often accomplished at least in part through the transmission of radio frequency energy modulated to carry the desired information. In order to communicate such information across physical gaps in a communication system infrastructure, air links are often utilized. Accordingly, radio waves having the aforementioned modulated information carried thereon may be broadcast or transmitted across these physical gaps for reception by communication infrastructure deployed at various physical locations.
For example, the above referenced patent application entitled “System and Method for Broadband Millimeter Wave Data Communications” discloses a communication system in which a communication hub is centrally located to provide an air link between a plurality of physically separated processor-based systems, or other sources of communication such as voice communication, each utilizing a communication node. The communication spectrum utilized by the communication system may be frequency division multiplexed (FDM) to provide multiple channels for simultaneous information communication to a plurality of subscribers or in order to provide spectrum for other services. For example, a carrier frequency in the millimeter wavelength (mmWave) spectrum, such as 10 to 60 GHz, may be used for information communication in order to provide a communication bandwidth sufficient for the transmission of approximately 30 Mbps through FDM channels of approximately 10 MHZ. However, it becomes readily apparent that the available spectrum may be fully occupied where large multiples of such channels are required.
The depletion of the available spectrum is often accelerated by such considerations as providing guard bands in order to avoid cross communication from adjacent channels and exclusion areas prohibiting reuse of particular channels in order to avoid co-channel interference. Accordingly other techniques of discriminating various information communication signals have been utilized.
For example, it may be advantageous to utilize differently polarized radio waves in order to discriminate between various communicated signals. Accordingly, a first communicated signal may have a first polarization, such as vertical or slant right, and a second communicated signal may have a second, preferably orthogonal, polarization, such as horizontal or slant left. Using such a technique, it is possible to provide additional communication bandwidth as the communication signals having substantially orthogonal polarization may be isolated through the use of properly polarized receiving apparatus, such as polarized antennas.
However, it should be appreciated that the use of polarization introduces additional complexity into the circuitry of the communication infrastructure. For example, variously polarized antenna structures are generally required instead of a single antenna configuration for non-polarized systems. Additionally, especially where mmWave frequencies are utilized, transceiver equipment may require physical adaptation to accommodate variously polarized antennas, such as to include waveguides properly polarized to accept an antenna having a desired polarization. Accordingly, the use of orthogonal polarization can require multiple variations in the equipment utilized, causing inefficiencies in the manufacture and supplying of such equipment as multiple versions of the equipment must be manufactured and stocked, such as for new deployment and/or spares. Moreover, inefficiencies are realized in the servicing of such equipment as service technicians must ensure the proper matching of transceiver equipment, antenna, and deployment position in order to ensure that each are matched to accomplish the desired polarization communication.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for the adapting of communication equipment for accepting information communication having any desired polarization. A further need exists in the art for a system and method providing for the acceptance of information communication having any desired polarization to utilize a single set of components regardless of the polarization utilized with a particular communication link.